Is there any GTD software that plays nice with Google Calendar?

02-06-2014, 02:09 PM

I started using Nozbe and found out that recurring tasks do not show up more than 2 times at once in the future. This is big problem for me because you really can’t properly schedule your life. I decided to use their Google calendar integration and use G-cal for all recurring tasks since it would list all recurrences in g-cal but still put them in Nozbe. Long story short, that company (Nozbe) has way too many bugs, including atrocious problems with G-Cal syncing. I would have only used Nozbe if it wasn’t for what I said in the beginning (recurring thing) but then I realized I liked integrating G-cal. The title of my post pretty must sums it up. I know it is a different fit for everybody, but if I could just find software that fulfills my basic needs I would adapt. Below I have listed needs and wants. I would like to thank you all in advance and I constantly pay it forward in other areas but I am a beginner in the area.

NEEDS
1. I use a Win 7 laptop, Android cell, and Android tablet so it would be nice to have it work with all 3 in some way.
2. Basic GTD processes (projects, inbox, next action, and tasks).
3. I doubt any GTD software currently does everything that G-cal can do as far as adding multiple G-cals (including other imported or synced calendars from within one of those calendars), 2 way syncing with those calendars, sharing etc. So the MAIN thing I hope to find for my 3rd need is GTD software that works with G-cal very nicely. More or less I want to use G-cal for time management with my life on it (lol) and the GTD software to organize everything beforehand. 2 way accurate syncing is a must so I can delete things from G-cal and have it either deleted or marked as done in the GTD software. Vise versa I would like to delete or marked as done a task and have it “completely removed” from G-cal. I could live with it still being there and marked as done if I had to.
4. Integration with Evernote

I am a bit confused as to whether you want to use google calendar per se, or the associated task list feature. For the latter, you might have a look at Gqueues. I also don't know what you mean by Evernote integration, but many people do just fine using Evernote as their list tool. There's even an official guide to using Evernote available from DAC.

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Need 1: Yes, I think they have all those (android, windows, mac, ios, web)
Need 2: Yes, it has all the regular GTD lists, plus a "goals" level above projects, plus subtasks
Need 3: Yes, it has all the syncing you are asking for, with 2-way syncing with multiple shared/shareable GCal calendars, plus one additional calendar that is upsync only
Need 4: No, no Evernote integration, but they say they are looking at it.

Want 1: No, no Dropbox/Sugarsync/GDrive integration; they say it is on the roadmap
Want 2: Yes, it has Contexts (one per task) and Tags (multiple per task) and priority and contact and star
Want 3: No, no facebook etc I think
Want 4: Yes, it has collaborative capabilities, but I am told they are rudimentary
Want 5: Yes, it has priorities represented as colored bars (or sometimes as group headings)
Want 6: Nyes, no task length generally, but you can add task length when the tasks is on the "starred" list

I use Doit myself, but I use only very few of the features you are asking for so I cannot tell you all that much about them. I chose Doit mainly because of its neat priorities and the goals levels above projects. Otherwise, it is pretty much like any other GTD app as far as my needs and wants are concerned. It has a super-weird kind of starring feature, but I can live with it.

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I am a bit confused as to whether you want to use google calendar per se, or the associated task list feature. For the latter, you might have a look at Gqueues. I also don't know what you mean by Evernote integration, but many people do just fine using Evernote as their list tool. There's even an official guide to using Evernote available from DAC.

I would just like Google calendar work with whatever I end up using. I did an OK job of explaining what Nozbe did wrong but a bad job of explaining how I specifically wanted to use G-cal. This may only pertain to using Nozbe with G-cal because of Nozbe's inefficiencies. I just wanted to use G-cal to schedule my repeating/recurring tasks like wash car, clean gutters, etc. I ONLY wanted to do this on G-cal instead of Nozbe because Nozbe would let me view 2 instances of each recurring task (current week and next week for a task that recurs every week). I think that most people would agree that this is kind of silly in general but a problem when you want to plan something a month out.

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There are many different schools of thinking about task management. Calendar scheduling of the kind that you seem to have in mind is very, very far away from GTD, which takes almost the exact opposite approach. In GTD, the ground rule is to schedule nothing at all unless you absolutely have to do something on a certain day. The idea is to stay flexible, make the best use of each moment/situation, and be ready to adapt to whatever the world throws at you.

mcogilvie speaks from a GTD point of view, and I take the same view on this. Calendar integration is not a necessary feature for doing GTD.

For example, the only calendar integration that I would find useful is:

- to have today's calendar appointments show up in my task app's "starred" list so that I do not have to flick between calendar and task list all day long. I solve this easily by having GCal email my task app a reminder 15 hours in advance (or I could copy them manually). By having more "elegant" integration it could be made more elegant, sure, but it is not necessary.

- to have project meetings appear both in the calendar and in the task app's project task list, so that I do not have to review my projects from both angles and so that I can easily find the date for a particular meeting in a particular project. I solve this manually today. I always enter meetings in the calendar, and if I think I need to see them in the task app I make an entry there as well (or write a comment to some existing task etc).

As I said, Doit can do all of those things beautifully in most ways, but I still do not use it. The reason is that it deletes or puts a checkmark on my GCal actions if I trash or check them off in Doit, which I find unacceptable (other people may still be going to that meeting even if I am not; and even my own meetings I want to keep intact as an appointment journal/reference). Apparently it is difficult for developers to get calendar integration done right. You might want to try IQTell. I think their integration has more manual control, but it is a very complicated app.

Have you tried looking at apps that do not even call themselves GTD? Apps that call themselves collaboration or project apps? They tend to be more date oriented that GTD apps, for obvious reasons.

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Need 1: Yes, I think they have all those (android, windows, mac, ios, web)
Need 2: Yes, it has all the regular GTD lists, plus a "goals" level above projects, plus subtasks
Need 3: Yes, it has all the syncing you are asking for, with 2-way syncing with multiple shared/shareable GCal calendars, plus one additional calendar that is upsync only
Need 4: No, no Evernote integration, but they say they are looking at it.

Want 1: No, no Dropbox/Sugarsync/GDrive integration; they say it is on the roadmap
Want 2: Yes, it has Contexts (one per task) and Tags (multiple per task) and priority and contact and star
Want 3: No, no facebook etc I think
Want 4: Yes, it has collaborative capabilities, but I am told they are rudimentary
Want 5: Yes, it has priorities represented as colored bars (or sometimes as group headings)
Want 6: Nyes, no task length generally, but you can add task length when the tasks is on the "starred" list

I use Doit myself, but I use only very few of the features you are asking for so I cannot tell you all that much about them. I chose Doit mainly because of its neat priorities and the goals levels above projects. Otherwise, it is pretty much like any other GTD app as far as my needs and wants are concerned. It has a super-weird kind of starring feature, but I can live with it.

Wow, thanks a lot.

I use Evernote mainly to capture all of my ideas so I guess I wouldn’t “absolutely” need the integration right now. It may require an extra step when planning (EN inbox to specific notebook to GTD software I guess) but I guess that is ok.

Thanks for the info I have looked into it but I will look into it more.

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Well, list apps. Most todo lists can be used for GTD, unless they're pretty dysfunctional. That's not to say that some aren't better designed than others. I can do ok with any list software that has multiple lists, with optional due date, priority, notes and a few sorts.

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I use Evernote mainly to capture all of my ideas so I guess I wouldn’t “absolutely” need the integration right now. It may require an extra step when planning (EN inbox to specific notebook to GTD software I guess) but I guess that is ok.

Thanks for the info I have looked into it but I will look into it more.

It sound like Zendone would be pretty close to what you want. It uses Evernote as a capture and reference tool and has proper 2 way sync with Google Calendar, probably the best I've seen from any 3rd party app. It's pretty faithful to GTD as well. I seriously considered switching myself but I don't really use Evernote and that's half the selling point. I think the UI is also going to appeal to some more than others, but if you can get past that, it's a really well put together piece of software.

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sliver108
In GTD, the ground rule is to schedule nothing at all unless you absolutely have to do something on a certain day. The idea is to stay flexible, make the best use of each moment/situation, and be ready to adapt to whatever the world throws at you.

Did you just make that up? Or did you hear that on YouTube somewhere? David has always stated that if something needs to get done, it goes on your calendar. Period.

If you have discretionary time, you're free to chop through the other contexts you have (make calls while waiting for a bus, for example).

I'm not sure where you heard this "schedule nothing" mindset, but that is the antithesis of what GTD is about. Everything that GTD manages, is by schedules (2 minutes, Weekly Review, Calendaring, etc.).

mcogilvie speaks from a GTD point of view, and I take the same view on this. Calendar integration is not a necessary feature for doing GTD.

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Did you just make that up? David has always stated that if something needs to get done, it goes on your calendar. Period.

I only know David Allen from his books. I cannot vouch for what he may have said in other media or in oral presentations. But please check out his books, try the first one first. It is a very good read, and will confirm what I said earlier.

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In this case I can say with full confidence it is Folke. In GTD DA states unequivocally that the only things that belong on your calendar are those that are date and time-specific. He gives the example of a phone call you have to make on a specific day because the person you need to speak with isn't available until then, and afterward she has to leave on a trip and won't be available again until your deadline for getting the information you need from her has passed.

I'm also a bit troubled by your confrontational tone. In my online interactions with Folke I have known him to be a nice, reasonable, and insightful person. Remember there is a human being with feelings on the other side of every online interaction you have. I think the golden rule applies here.

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In this case I can say with full confidence it is Folke. In GTD DA states unequivocally that the only things that belong on your calendar are those that are date and time-specific. He gives the example of a phone call you have to make on a specific day because the person you need to speak with isn't available until then, and afterward she has to leave on a trip and won't be available again until your deadline for getting the information you need from her has passed.

I'm also a bit troubled by your confrontational tone. In my online interactions with Folke I have known him to be a nice, reasonable, and insightful person. Remember there is a human being with feelings on the other side of every online interaction you have. I think the golden rule applies here.

Agreed. Everything I have read, seen, heard by, from DA would support the idea that only Scheduled events go on one's calendar. The only requirement is that it must be done that day.